Living in the city while maintaining a relationship with nature can be difficult. The woods are very far away, and it is hard to find places to reconnect with the natural self. I’ve always had a certain fascination with victorian poets and writers, Emily Dickinson being a favorite. Their slow pace of living, filled with fascination and their deep, emotional relationship with nature and the impact it has on their lives.
In our own way, just as victorians did in the past, we are beginning to reclaim our ties to nature as a response to newfound technology. Just as the victorians felt an urge to cling to the study and incorporation of botanicals in everyday life in the form of tonics, decor, adornment, and keepsakes in reaction to the industrial age, we too make attempts to find a slower, more meaningful way to live. In between our stressful day to day lives we can see this via the recent popularity of teas, natural materials in garments, organic whole foods, herbalism (and its study) and the onset of not just outdoor gardening (which has always been popular) but the upkeep and companionship of indoor houseplants and herbs as well.
I personally try to keep in touch by studying and clinging to everything I can- herbalism and its uses both spiritually and physically, the antiquated art of butterfly pinning, working on flower identification and arrangement, the list goes on. The most important, though, is seeking others who are as passionate about organic relationships as I am, and cultivating a community that thrives on meaningful imagery and communication via archaic images that tie us both to people in history and the world that fosters us.
Natural beauty products have recently become a big thing for me: and sometimes the most natural way to care for your body is by making the product at home. Since I’m growing out my hair, I’d like to share an herbal “hair tea” that works as both as a rinse to help strengthen and grow hair.
Herbal hair tea:
all ingredients dried
1 teaspoon nettle
1 teaspoon horsetail
1 teaspoon rose petal
1 teaspoon mint and / or chamomile
Pour over boiling water (I usually make this in a standard french press), let steep for 30 minutes, and then add 5 drops of rosemary extract and avocado or castor oil. Apply to hair as a final rinse after bathing, or put in a spray bottle and spritz before bed.
Artist/Practitioner Bio:
Ash Miyagawa is an illustrator and graphic designer from Kansas City, MO. Her work explores and examines the depth of the human relationship with botanicals- both in her personal pieces in within the direction of her clients. Recently, she has made work for Homestead Apothecary, Cedar and Rose LA, Lifted Spirits Distillery, and For Strange Women Perfume. When she isn’t drawing, you can find her insect spreading, houseplant keeping, or curling up to read with a big glass of pinot noir. On July 22nd- you can find her at Ritualcravt in Denver, CO for an artist pop-up event along with Alessandra Dzuba and Jane Almirall. Prints, original artwork, curated natural objects, and other artisanal ephemera will be available. Find her on the web at ashmiyagawa.com, insta @ashmiyagawa, email ashleymiyagawa@gmail.com.